Mira Neshama Niculescu

Jewish Meditation

JEWISH MEDITATION

"The first sages used to sit in silence for an hour, and then they would pray".

Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Brakhot 32 b.

Jewish meditative and contemplative practices are as old as Judaism itself. Yet the expression "Jewish Meditation" is new. It is a generic term used today to point to a diverse array of contemplative techniques which Jewish sages have been transmitting, for centuries, mostly orally.

​

From Kavannah to 'Histaklut, from Gerushin to Hitobnenut, from Hashkata to Hitbodedut, from Tserufim to 'Haga, the vast and complex field of Jewish meditation can be roughly divided into three trends: ecstatic Kabbalah, pietistic Chassidut, and ethical Mussar.